1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a TV program reserve setting method and an apparatus using the same that store TV program information of a show time in a TV set so as for the TV program to be automatically shown at the stored reserve time, and more particularly to a TV program usage information setting method and an apparatus using the same which simply reserve information of a specific TV program periodically and recurringly showed on a certain day and time and selectively or automatically tunes in and shows the TV program when occurs the certain day and time which have been reserved.
2. Description of the Conventional Art
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a conventional TV set which is controlled by a reserve setting method of a TV program. As shown therein, a microcomputer 6 which receives command signals generated by pressing a key matrix provided on a remote control (not shown) or on the TV set and which controls each unit of the TV set in accordance with the corresponding command signal, a main screen channel selecting unit 1 which receives a signal supplied from an antenna, selects a channel of a main screen and outputs image and sound signals corresponding to the selected channel, a sub screen channel selecting unit 2 which receives a signal supplied from the antenna, selects a channel of a sub screen and outputs image and sound signals corresponding to the selected channel, a picture in picture (PIP) processing unit 3 which synthesizes the image and speech signals outputted from the main and sub screen channel selecting units 1, 2, and an image signal processing unit 4 which processes the image signals supplied from the PIP processing unit 3 to be displayed on a cathode ray tube (CRT) display 5, in accordance with the control of the microcomputer 6.
Now, an operation of the conventional TV set controlled by the reserve setting method of the TV program will be described.
When a key of the key matrix provided on the remote control or on the TV set is pressed by the user and a PIP-functional command signal is transmitted to the microcomputer 6, the microcomputer 6 outputs tuning signals corresponding to each channel to the main and sub screen channel selecting units 1, 2. Then, in accordance with the main channel tuning signal, the main screen channel selecting unit 1 selects the main screen channel, receives a signal from the antenna and outputs a main screen image signal, and the sub screen channel selecting unit 2, in accordance with the sub screen channel tuning signal, selects the sub screen channel, receives a signal from the antenna and outputs a sub screen image signal. Further, the PIP processing unit 3 receives and synthesizes the main and sub screen image signals and outputs a synthesized signal to the image signal processing unit 4 which processes the image signal supplied from the PIP processing unit 3 to be properly displayed on the CRT display 5 and simultaneously outputs the main and sub screen image signals to the CRT display 5.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the operation program of the TV set in which a TV program is reserved according to the conventional reserve setting method. The broadcasting process of the reserved TV program will be described with reference to FIG. 2.
First, the microcomputer 6 determines whether a predetermined TV program has been previously reserved by the user (ST1), and if it is determined that the program has been reserved, the microcomputer 6 compares the reserve time of the TV program with the current time (ST2), and if no program is reserved or the reserve time of the program is different from the current time, no signal is supplied from the microcomputer 6. When the reserve time is determined to be identical to the current time, the microcomputer 6 determines whether the TV set is on (ST3). If the TV set is on, the flow is directly transferred to a block ST5, and if the TV set is not switched on, the microcomputer 6 switches on the TV set (ST4) and the program flow is transferred to the block ST5. Then, the microcomputer 6 determines whether the TV channel being shown on the main screen is the channel which has been previously reserved by the user (ST5), and if the channel on the main screen is identical to the reserved channel, the predetermined TV program is shown and if not, the channel on the main screen is switched to the reserved channel (ST6) and thereby the predetermined TV program is shown.
However, according to the conventional reserve setting method for the TV program to receive and show a certain TV program, to reserve the desired TV program, the user has to separately set information thereof such as the day, the time, volume, display conditions, which causes the user inconvenience. In addition, since the user must reserve and set individual information of other TV programs which are periodically broadcasted, it requires unnecessary time and also inconveniences the user.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a TV program usage information setting method and an apparatus using the same which obviate the problems and disadvantages due to the conventional art.
An object of the present invention is to provide a TV program usage information setting method that simply sets and reserves usage information related to a specific TV program and habitually and automatically receives and shows the specific TV program according to the usage information.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a TV program usage information setting method that simply sets and reserves usage information related to a specific TV program and on-screen displays a message which asks whether a user wants to watch the previously reserved TV program before receiving and showing specific TV program in accordance with the usage information.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for setting usage information of a TV program that simply sets and reserves usage information related to a specific TV program and habitually and automatically receives and shows the specific TV program according to the usage information.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, according to a first embodiment of the present invention, usage information, such as broadcasting day and time, a channel, volume and screen size, related to a predetermined TV program is reserved by pressing a usage key when the predetermined TV program which is periodically or habitually broadcasted is shown on a TV set, and the predetermined TV program is automatically and habitually received and shown in accordance with the stored usage information when the reserved day and time are identical to current day and time.
According to a second embodiment of the present invention, when a TV program is broadcasted, in accordance with the previously stored usage information, a message which asks whether a user wants watch a specific TV program is displayed on a main screen. When the user confirms the reception and showing of the specific TV program, the specific TV program is displayed on the main screen, while if the user decides not to watch the broadcasting thereof, the usage setting of the specific TV program is deleted, and when no execution command is inputted by the user, the specific TV program is displayed on the main screen after a predetermined time.
Further, according to a third embodiment of the present invention, when a TV program is broadcasted, in accordance with previously stored usage information, a message which asks whether a user wants watch a specific TV program is displayed on a main screen, the specific TV program being displayed on a sub screen. When the user confirms the reception and showing of the specific TV program, the specific TV program is displayed on the main screen, while if the user decides not to watch the broadcast thereof, the usage setting of the specific TV program is deleted, and when no execution command is inputted by the user, the specific TV program is displayed on the main screen after a predetermined time.
In addition, according to a fourth embodiment, to achieve the object of the present invention there is provided an apparatus for setting usage information of a TV program, includes: a usage key of a key matrix provided on a remote control or a TV set for storing usage information related to a specific TV program which is periodically or habitually broadcasted; a microcomputer for receiving a command signal corresponding to the usage key and controlling each unit of the TV set in accordance with the command signal; main and sub screen channel selecting units for receiving signals from an antenna and processing speech and image signals to be properly displayed on a cathode ray tube (CRT); a picture-in-picture (PIP) processing unit for receiving the image and speech signals supplied from the main and sub screen channel selecting units and performing a PIP process for the image and speech signals; an on-screen processing unit for processing the stored usage information; and an image signal processing unit for processing to output the image and speech signals outputted from the PIP processing unit to the CRT.